Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever is a 2014 movie originally written for the Lifetime Network. It was written and directed by Tim Hill (SpongeBob Squarepants) and stars Tardar Sauce as grumpy Cat and features Megan Charpentier as Chrystal, Daniel Roebuck as George, Russell Peters as Santa, David Lewis as Marcus, Evan Todd as Zack, Isaac Haig at Donny and Aubrey Plaza as herself and the voice of Grumpy Cat.
The film starts out with a definition of the word “grumpy” that is interrupted by Grumpy Cat saying “NO!” We are then treated to images of Grumpy in a car chase with explosions, being a superhero, and other characterizations before arriving at Grumpy’s place of residence: a pet store at the mall called Whiskers. The owner is being evicted for not paying his rent, but he has acquired a prize show dog worth $1 million dollars.
Chrystal arrives at the mall to have lunch with her mom and a would-be-suitor and goes to volunteer at the pet store. Everybody in the mall knows Chrystal, including the security guard who goes up and down the mall on his little scooter. We find out Chrystal has been having a hard time making friends at school and likes her “job” at the pet store because they have become her friends. She ends up talking to a mall Santa who gives her a coin to make a wish, which she does and then goes to the store.
Meanwhile, two guys are pretending to look at jewelry that appear to be straight out of Dumb and Dumber. Chrystal ends up taking a key to the pet store when she leaves for the evening so she can sneak back in during her mom’s Christmas party that evening. When Chrystal comes back to the pet store, she is surprised to find Grumpy talking to her and realizes she can understand and talk to Grumpy but none of the other animals. The thieves tape up the security guard, George, and break into the pet store to steal the dog, JoJo. They leave the keys on the counter and when they come back to the mall, they find the keys gone.
Chrystal had stolen the keys and threw them into the fountain, then she and Grumpy hide out in a sporting goods store where Chrystal predictably shoots them with paintballs. Chrystal escapes and rescues George and we realize George is in on the heist. Another chase ensues until Grumpy cat eventually frees all of the animals to help amid the theme song of the A-Team.
After Chrystal and Grumpy steal a Camaro from the mall, they play chicken with Zack and Donny and win, which sends Grumpy into a Christmas tree and the police to apprehend the bad guys. In the end, Chrystal’s mom adopts Grumpy and they all live happily ever after.
I had the opportunity to meet Grumpy Cat at an event a couple of years before she dies but the line was too long, something I regret. While watching this film, especially the beginning, I thought I was in for an un-comedy. However, it soon grows on you. If you are a fan of all the Grumpy Cat memes and wise-cracks, this movie has a lot of them, including Grumpy recommending you not watch the movie.
The wall is broken several times in the film, even at one point coming back from a real commercial break to a fake commercial for Grumpy Cat merchandise. While it took a bit to get going, and I knew where it was going to end up, eventually I started laughing more at the quips Grumpy Cat made and it was actually kind of enjoyable.
Is it a cinematic masterpiece? No. But is it a movie that delivers on featuring Grumpy Cat? Absolutely, although the scenes where Grumpy actually moves and runs were obviously a different cat, and the scenes where Grump is being carried look more like a stuffed animal. For fans of Tardar Sauce aka Grumpy Cat, you might enjoy this film.
You can currently find it streaming on Amazon Prime.
Film Credits
- Grumpy Cat as Grumpy Cat
- Aubrey Plaza as Voice of Grumpy Cat
- Megan Charpentier as Chrystal
- Daniel Roebuck as George
- Russell Peters as Santa
- David Lewis as Marcus Crabtree
- Evan Todd as Zack
- Isaac Haig as Donny
- Shauna Johannesen as Tabby
- Casey Manderson as Jesse
- Tyler Johnston as Gill Brockman
- Ryan Bell as Corbin
Director
Writer
Cinematographer
Editor
Composer
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Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever
